Return of the Dark Lord
by Vaden28
Summary: Darth Revan has returned, and as she seeks to retake her throne, her alligence is called into question by those around her. Does she belong to the Light, or Dark? And can she rebuild her Empire with what the Sith Triumvirate left behind? Grey/Female.
1. Beginning of the End

_This story is currently in the process of being rewritten. It has only ever been posted on Quizilla, and it has been a great deal of time since I've last visited it. As I recall, this is my longest fanfiction (recently I've only been working on one-shots, so not much has changed since then). A large portion has been already written out, but as I said before, it's been a while since I've worked on it, and now I'm rewriting it._

_To be clear, this is NOT the rewrite, but it's not exactly what I posted on Quizilla either. Years ago, only shortly before I stopped working on this continuously, I had started to rewrite it. However, even that needs tending too._

_What you are going to read right now is that rewrite I started years ago. It still needs a great deal of work, but I want more of my stuff (no matter how old) on here._

_This fanfiction is all that I have handy right now, and even though it's not exactly up-to-date, nor is it a very accurate representation of my current skill level, it's all ready to go, and the grammar/spelling/story isn't all that bad._

_I would very much appreciate any feedback. Although it's old, I still need to rewrite it, and you may catch something that I won't. Plus it's always nice to hear what others think of your style and skill, of course._

_Thank you for reading!_

* * *

><p>There were soft sounds of machinery drifting down the halls of the Star Forge as it continued to complete it's master's last command. Other than the constant hum of machines the Star Forge was silent as the grave. It had been the final resting place of many Sith and Jedi alike. Droids were being constructed to clear the halls of bodies and give them a burial on the surface of Rakata Prime below.<p>

The battle of Rakata Prime had been the end of the main Republic force. Those that had lived or some how escaped the battles were taken in by the Sith and had been given two options. Either they could join them or be personally taken care of by the Sith Lord. While some believed that the Sith Lord would dispose of them anyway that seemed fit, they were wrong. The Lord touched their minds and erased any memories that could lead or inform the Republic of the Star Forge's location or capabilities. With that done they got shipped off to planets outside of the core with nav computers that would erase themselves after reaching their destination. That left the soldiers in the Republic's arms remembering that they had left in a desperate attempt to stop the Sith but not being capable of recalling where or what they had fought.

The Sith Lord, having connections and spies all over the Republic, was able to delete anything logged in that could lead them to the location of the Sith base of operation. Minds were wiped, nav computers destroyed, and anything the Republic had related to the Star Forge was completely removed from their clutches. The last ties to it were the Star Maps.

The only beings in the Republic that had any idea what happened were the once members of the Ebon Hawk's crew - Carth, Jolee, Juhani, Zaalbar, Mission, and T3-M4.

The group had been rendered unconscious by the Sith and had the ex-jedi Bastila take them to the fringe of Republic space. They were left there with credits, a vessel, and the apology from a person they once called friend.

Bastila Shan disappeared from both the Republic and Sith after that. She claimed that she needed time to decide her place in the galaxy and that it needed to be done alone. Bastila told her newly acquired master that she would return in time to either reclaim her title or to ask to leave the Sith. Neither would be an easy task to do.

Canderous had taken over the position of Mandalore at the request of the Sith Lord. He was rebuilding the Mandalorian clans at the moon of Dxun.

Five years later Darth Sion, Darth Nihilus, and Darth Traya took over the Sith forces after the sudden disappearance of the former Dark Lord. All three were defeated by a jedi exile, Arieli, who had once served in the Mandalorian Wars.

With the loss of the Dark Lords the Sith that believed they should be the one to take over all met at the once abandoned academy on Korriban. They were all ready to fight it out but what they didn't know was that they were going to witness an unexpected return of a frightening figure...


	2. Assessing The Damage

_Wow, my writing certainly was... well, lacking back then. I skimmed through this and found numerous errors. I'm sure there are still a few, but they will be fixed soon, if I don't decide to simply scrap the whole thing and start from scratch._

_I'm very displeased with Revan's character in this. She seems very cocky, and far to aloof for my liking. Quite frankly, I don't know what I was thinking when I originally wrote this. Either way, once I get a new plot line setup for the rewrite (which at this point is looking more like an entire redo) I will nearly completely revise her personality._

_I apologize for Revan's more irritating quirks in this. It will be changed. Eventually._

* * *

><p>I heard the crumbling of rock as I walked through the Tomb of Ajunta Pall. I had in my right hand the double-bladed sword of the Sith Lord. The first thing that I needed when I returned was a weapon. Naturally, the first thing I thought of was the blade I had taken before, but had then returned. This was my third time being here in this dead place.<p>

When I finally reached the door I opened it with a simple wave of my hand. I briskly walked towards the path that leads to the academy. There was suppose to be a showdown and the last one standing was to become the new Sith Lord. I could sense the cowardice in the people at the academy. None of them seemed to have any interest in a fair fight. I just barely touched the minds of the occupants for a moment and I already knew that there were mines at the doors, more than half of the food reserves were poisoned, and terminals all over were set to explode at the slightest touch. The place was a death trap. At the same time the traps were so painfully obvious that it would be shameful to get caught in one of them.

As I passed the Shyrack Cave I heard a scream from ahead. I could tell it was at the doors to the academy. When I turned the last corner I saw the smoking remains of a female dark Jedi. I never stopped my advance to the doors but with one glance I could see what had happened. She was shot in the thigh by a blaster then burned with a flamethrower while she tried to escape on the ground.

_Things have gotten worse... _I thought.

I walked through the doors after waving them open. I used the force to disable the mines and strutted right over them. The few Sith in the room stopped their bickering to stare at me as I continued to the center of the academy, sword in hand. I felt in the Force that one of the men in the entrance room realized whom I was but didn't believe it.

I kept walking at a fast pace until I heard the clash of lightsabers. The dueling had already begun and two men were in the center of the room fighting with two completely different styles. One used finesse while the other used brute strength.

I stayed in the shadows trying not to be found out until I wanted to reveal my presence. By listening to the crowd I found that the tall man that preferred finesse was Cyina and the brutal one was Lormid. After ten solid minutes of trading attacks Cyina finally got past Lormid's poor defenses and hit him on the wrist, causing him to drop his lightsaber and gasp in surprise and pain.

Cyina watched him for a second then turned away to walk towards the crowd. I could feel people wondering what he was doing and why he wasn't killing the defeated man. Then Lormid pulled out a blaster pistol with his good hand from underneath his vest and pointed it at Cyina.

Without a second thought I leaped in between the two duelists and used the sword of Ajunta Pall to deflect the shot back at the weapon. The bolt hit the pistol and I heard it sizzle before it flew out of the hand of Lormid. The man screeched again as his other hand was damaged. He leaned against the nearest wall as he quieted down and stared at me menacingly.

All eyes were on me now. I reached out in the Force and felt the few sparks of recognition. Others had no idea who they were really looking at. An elder man stepped out of the crowd and slowly approached me. He then bowed low and I thought I heard what sounded like a sigh a relief from the man.

"I would like the honor of welcoming you back, my Lord Revan."

The members behind him all froze except for the man named Cyina who turned around to face me. I could feel the fear and shock from the Sith in the room. Most didn't believe what the elder man had said. Cyina only seemed more interested. He and the older Sith both seemed faintly familiar, if only their faces. I felt relief from those two, instead of fear like the others.

I nodded silently to the old man as I gazed down at him. This convinced them all I really was _Darth Revan, Dark Lord of the Sith_.

The old Sith introduced himself as Monoto. Monoto and Cyina followed me to the master chambers in the academy. It was a wonder the rooms were still intact.

After putting the sword in a footlocker, I felt the need to wander around and see what all had changed since I had been here. It had to be six years or so. I didn't really pay attention to the time while I was gone.

As we walked through the halls Monoto explained how he and Cyina had both served under me during the Mandalorian and Jedi Civil Wars. Now I remembered them. I recall Cyina the best. He was once a Jedi like me and we joined the order at the same time.

Cyina had joined me in the Mandalorian Wars and then again during the Jedi Civil War. We hadn't worked close together but I remember seeing him every now and then on the capital ships.

I found that some of the rooms in the academy had been broken into and equipment stolen. Most of the information in the library had been damaged and many terminals didn't work. After I left known space it seems that the Sith started using computer programs to teach the students. The wild animals from the caves and tombs had wandered out and frightened off many students and soon ran them off the grounds entirely. They had let the tombs collapse and ruined countless objects under the rule of Malak.

The Sith had fallen to pitiful levels.

Monoto left when I started heading for the exit into the Valley of the Dark Lords. He bowed and took his leave after being excused. Many didn't have the fortitude to walk through the graveyard for the Sith Lords of old time. Cyina came with me.

"Have you come back to claim your title, my Lord?" He asked while walking behind me.

I ground my teeth at the use of my old title. It seemed less than fitting at the moment. "Yes, temporarily."

"What of the Star Forge? The Sith could not find its location after you left. Has it been destroyed or are you going to get that back also?"

"No, it wasn't destroyed and it was never mine. The Star Forge serves who it wishes. At one time that was I. Now I only wish to return and recover what was lost to me."

"And the Republic? Are you going to go back to war with them?"

This took me a few moments to answer. I didn't think anyone would understand but I might as well answer. "I am not going to war with them."

"Why not? You did before without any second thoughts."

"Oh, there were second thoughts alright. My plans didn't work out right. Malak ruined it to a degree and the Jedi didn't help matters either. They didn't see what I saw. They didn't understand and they didn't want to be taught."

"What did you see, my Lord? What did you have planned?"

His questions were slightly unnerving me to a point but I felt I needed to answer him. Or was I really trying to tell myself what I was doing?

"I saw the real threat, the real Sith. I knew that the Republic wasn't strong enough to handle them. I thought that if I could conquer them without taking key points out I could use both Republic forces and Sith forces to protect the galaxy from the _true_ Sith. That is what I saw during the Mandalorian War."

"So you aren't like the regular Sith here. They want death and destruction while you want to protect people from that. You may be no Jedi, but you keep lives in mind."

I thought about Cyina's words for a moment and was tempted to explain that I had used their need to destroy to my advantage, but I hadn't the slightest idea how he might react. After quick thinking I settled on the more emotional response instead of starting to explain my tactics that I had used at that time. "I also know that sacrifices must be made to win in the end. That is why I'm not a Jedi. To me, losing my friends and the trust of the Jedi and people of the Republic was my sacrifice to get what I needed to protect the galaxy. I had to become a Sith. I am automatically put in the category of the evil villains, like Malak. I never did any mindless killing like he did, but in a sense their way of categorizing me is correct."

"Are you saying that what you did was justified?"

"No, not everything I did was reasonable but my time away has helped. There were times that what I did was no better than most Sith, or even the Mandalorians. But my intentions were always set straight. Protect my home."

"You ran away from home and even destroyed most of it, my Lord."

"Yes, but like I said it was still for the safety in the long run."

"You do know that the Republic nearly fell after you left?"

"But it didn't, did it? I knew what I was doing. I was holding off the real problem."

"You knew that the Republic would survive?"

I smirked at his facial expression and simply turned away from him. I couldn't help but think that the Sith were hypocrites. They imagine powerful Lords when they need them, and then turn their backs on them when they don't. They foolishly worship those that they believe will give them power, and then criticize their choices when they don't understand. They help build a person's ego, and then tear it down without mercy.

I could hear the distant sounds of a shyrack and a tuk'ata fighting some ways in front of me. There were shrieks that could be heard all over the caverns. I just walked on as though I was enjoying Naboo's beaches. I felt at home in these dark places. I didn't feel threatened at all.

I noticed the soft sound of someone running towards me. The force told me it was Cyina. He came up beside me and did a quick bow. I merely ignored him and carried on.

"May I come with you, my Lord Revan?"

"Yes, as long as you can take care of yourself."

"Thank you, my Lord."

It had been so long since I've been called that and I still didn't believe that I deserved such a title. Most importantly, the last time I had been called such was when I had far too much responsibility for any sane person to handle and my ego was vying for new, unhealthy heights.

I felt a jolt in the Force and stopped in my tracks. I looked up through my mask to see a barely noticeable waver in the air at the end of the cave's path where it opened up to a drop off. I stretched my senses out and felt the presence of a few beasts.

Cyina saw that something was bothering me and was now looking around for what I had noticed. Not seeing anything he turned back to me.

"What is wro-" I cut him off with I finger over his lips and looked back over to where the dark energy was coming from.

"What do you see now, Lord Revan?" he whispered.

"It's what I don't see that bothers me."

He looked at me with a questioning look but I answered him before he could ask.

"The Hssiss," I whispered.

"What? What is a Hssiss?" Cyina whispered as he strained to see what I had noticed.

"They are dark side dragons. You can't see them because you haven't been trained to do so. They can hide in the Force. Kind of like a stealth field generator," I said quietly. They wouldn't be much of a problem if I wouldn't have to watch out for Cyina and if we weren't in a cave over flowing in the dark side power.

"What are we going to do?"

"We? _We_ aren't going to do anything. They should move away over time and if we don't do anything to disturb them _we_ should be fine." I wasn't use to saying we or someone counting me in a group. It had been years since I had last been in a persons company.

"So… we are just going to sit here, in the dark, in a cave, alone?" I nodded. "How long exactly are we going to do this?"

I could tell by his voice that he was worried. He might of fought in the Wars and joined the Sith but he still had a bit of Jedi in him. The dark side scared him. He just stared at me and I could sense his agitation. He hadn't asked if he could run for it. That showed that he had courage.

As I was piecing together this mans traits to make a personality I must have been staring at him.

"Is something wrong?"

"Nothing, you are just different."

That must not have been what he had expected because his jaw dropped slightly and he cocked his head to the side. I turned to face the direction of the Hssiss and started walking towards their dark energy, leaving a dumbfounded Cyina behind me for the second time.

As I came up to where I felt the Hssiss I let my mind connect even more into the Force. I began to see blurry shapes and movement. As I focused the shapes became clearer to reveal a group of eight. The dragons turned to me as they noticed that I could see them. The one closest to me let out a loud growl as it crouched down. It was the youngest one out of the eight. It left the least amount of trace on the Force but what was there was wild and unbridled.

I paid no mind to the youngest and looked to the one that was the alpha of the group. It was two meters tall and roughly three meters long, the average size of a dark dragon. Through the force I touched the mind of the Hssiss. It knew that I was one not to be bothered and that I wasn't here to cause problems. It growled quietly at the young one but its warning wasn't listened to.

The crouched Hssiss sprang forward at me with amazing speed. I used the Force to send the creature flying towards an outcropping of rock in the wall and pulled part of the ceiling down on top of it. This enraged an even larger dragon and it charged at me. Using a Force enhanced jump I landed on the back of the beast and gripped the top of its head with my right hand. The pressure of my fingers was enough to make it whimper in pain. As it tried to throw me off I tightened my hold on its skull and touched the mind of the Hssiss. Immediately it calmed down and lowered itself to the ground so I could leap off.

The younger dark dragon that I had shoved into the wall had regained conscience and started to limp over to the group and took up position behind the alpha. I took it as a sign of surrender. They backed away to the other side of the cavern after the alpha nipped at the young one as if saying _That'll teach you a lesson._

I heard the sound of heavy breathing and remembered that Cyina was still here. I had felt him come after me before the encounter with the beasts.

"How did you do that?" he asked as he walked over to me while eyeing the departing Hssiss.

"One doesn't become Lord of the Sith by sharing all their secrets, do they?"

"Well, I guess so."

"Practice. It takes practice, strength, and wisdom," I told him in my usual monotone. I sounded like I was rehearsing something, which I was.

"Why do you sound like you don't mean that?" He gave me a blank stare. He was trying to read me but my trademark mask was in place and my mind was nearly untouchable.

"Just something a teacher would tell me. I never believed her. She was trying to say that I had to figure it out myself." He took a moment to wrap his mind around what I had explained and finally came up with the message I sent.

"So… you aren't going to tell me how you did that?"

I internally sighed as I walked across the span of rock that went across the gorge, Cyina behind me on the right.

"Why waste time telling me that it takes practice when you had no intention of actually telling me?"

_Why do _you_ waste time asking me stupid questions?_

"I was just playing with your mind to see if you can think," I said coldly. "I was taught firsthand how to mess with the mind. I learned from the best." I saw him wince. He must know of some of the many things that happened between me, the Jedi, and my teachers. He knew that I hadn't been '_taught'_.

After a few minutes of walking in the dark I saw the other side of the gorge. There were shyrack bodies scattered over the ground and a few tuk'ata corpses. I walked over to a large boulder and took a seat as I watched Cyina investigate the rocks around the place. It was a soldiers habit that neither of us apparently had dropped: never enter or leave an area without knowing our surroundings. I already knew this place by heart so that left Cyina wandering around looking for anything of interest.

As he turned away from me I reached up, and for the first time in days, removed my mask. Before Cyina looked back I pulled my hood to hide my face. It was easy to do in the dark. I ran my finger across the marks and ridges on the mask. It was the only thing that knew me. It reflected me and only me. It hid the pain of my loses while still showing the strength that I had received from them. It was my protection from the galaxy and the people in it. I was seldom without it anymore.

I heard scrapping as Cyina moved the top off a clay urn. I was surprised that he chanced looking inside but he must have known that there were no remains in there. I was even more surprised when he reached in and pulled out a blaster.

My heart skipped a beat as I saw the customized blaster of a long ago friend. Cyina inspected it for a while and then noticed my turned head. Immediately I looked back down at my mask in my hands. I knew he couldn't see me but I still felt exposed in some way. I replaced the black and red mask and continued to gaze at the ground wishing it would swallow me whole, sorrow and all.

Cyina walked over to me and laid the blaster beside me on the boulder.

"Something tells me you need this." His voice was lowered and was laden with pained understanding.

"I don't want it," I said irritated. He acted as if he knew what he was doing.

"I never said you _wanted_ it. You _need_ it."

"You think I can't handle myself?" Everything I said was in monotone but I was close to yelling. I knew what he meant but I wanted to see if he could explain his actions. Plus, he was walking on my private territory and he needed to learn that it was a dangerous place to be.

"Someone or something wants you to have this. You should take it."

My head was positioned away from him but I was peering at him from the corner of my eyes. He couldn't tell with the mask on so he thought I was completely ignoring him. He picked up the custom weapon and bowed low to me and stayed that way.

"My apologies, Lord Revan. May I continue with you to your destination?" He did a complete turn from pesky fool to loyal inferior in less than five seconds and I hated it.

I stood up and started walking away. Cyina glimpsed up at me and waited. After making it a few meters I turned back to him and looked down. He was still bowed down but was gazing at me intently. I spun on my heels in a practiced manner, one that would have put Malak to shame, and strode off. Before being swathed in darkness beyond view I motioned with two fingers for Cyina to follow.

We came across a large stone door that had dark energy visibly crackling in front of it. Cyina cringed at the sight of took a step back. I was beginning to doubt whether he really was a Sith or if he just hung around for an unknown reason.

Before he could ask what _we_ were going to do I waved my hand and the energy shot to me. It formed into a sort of ball and dissolved into my hand. I felt the dark power enter and fought to calm it. After a brief moment the energy settled down. It would have the strength and ferocity of the dark side but not the uncontrollable rage that many Sith use to their advantage. I never saw any positive effects of that rage but my old master said it had to do with my connection with the Jedi.

Cyina and I walked over the darkened ground that had been sparking only seconds ago. I waved my hand and the door slowly grinded open. Cyina stared at me in plain shock.

As I walked in I started to see visions, or memories, of the Mandalorian Wars. I closed my mind off from the Forces hold, something I didn't do often, and the images disappeared.

"This is a Sith tomb… these faces… "

Cyina was holding out well against these visions. I knew he was seeing something from the Wars but I didn't know if he understood that it was a test of sorts. He did the smart thing and just continued to follow my lead and ignore the many pained faces I'm sure he saw.

There was the familiar sound of crumbling rock and the distant shrieks of creature fighting for survival. The smell was one of old, moldy dirt and dust. There were faint wafts of a discharge smell after a blaster had been shot. I could see the cuts and scratches from the clashing of vibroblades and a few lightsabers. It was obvious that this place had been used as a test for students. Only foolhardy Sith hopefuls would chance their life against the dark wonders and terrors of this cold tomb.

I walked up to another door and sensed shyracks on the other side. Without a second thought I opened the stone seal and walked in. With a quick motion I summoned Cyina's lightsaber and activated it. The comforting sound set my mind into a state that not many could achieve. The flying creatures' actions slowed down and with fine, accurate movements I had left half of the shyracks in either pitiful shrieking masses or dead mounds on the floor. I moved the saber up from a downward slash into the stomach of a nearby shyrack then angled up to remove it's wing and slash the head off the creature beside it. I pulled back from the center of the shyracks and swung the lightsaber in a circle by my side and hit three more by two swings. With a wide down stroke I finished off the rest of the beasts in the room.

Cyina took back his weapon gratefully while mumbling about being left defenseless each time there was danger.

We came to the door that I knew led to the sarcophagus of Ludo Kressh. Cyina seemed to notice through the Force that we were nearing the resting place of a Sith Lord. I went ahead and opened the door and strutted in. Cyina just stood in the door waiting for me to explain what I was doing. After watching me and never receiving an explanation he got the courage to speak.

"What are we doing here, My Lord Revan?"

I sighed at being referred to as 'Lord' yet again.

"I need to get something."

"What would that be, My Lord?"

"This," I said as I pulled an old lightsaber out from its hiding place. It was of an ancient  
>design but a worthy weapon never the less. I clipped it onto my belt and started to walk off to the door in the back. Cyina ran to catch up and followed me up to the surface.<p>

When Cyina and I reached the Valley of the Dark Lords he continued to remain quiet. After reaching the door he asked to be excused, claiming he had important matters to attend to. I gladly let him go and started my silent trek across the academy to the library.

"My Lord, would you like some assistance?" It was Monoto. He had been waiting for me to return. His mind was easier to read since he was older. He planned on helping me get my position back and getting himself a promotion while doing so.

"No, Monoto, I don't need your help. I know these archives better than anyone. They need to be repaired and corrected. I figure I'm the one to do so."

"Yes, My Lord."

He watched me as a started walking to the nearest terminal. I looked back over my shoulder at him as he stared at me.

_He really has nothing to do, does he? He expects me to give him orders and commands. He, in his own way, lives to serve and he has chosen me to serve under, like some sort of dog. He wants a strong center of command. What do I do with that? It's been so long since I've had command over a number of men .I was so good at my job back then…_

"There is something you can do for me, Monoto."

"Anything, My Lord."

"Don't call me 'Lord' again. I don't want someone who lives to lick the feet of their Masters serving under me. There is a line between respect and worship, and I don't deserve either."

He was visibly shocked by my word. I was even surprised by my words. No Sith would have said something like that, but that was what I wanted. But, to my dismay, I could tell from his apparent need for leadership and his lifelong career as a soldier that he would need some sort of middle ground.

So, I had to settle for second best. "Monoto, just use my name," I inwardly winced at that thought so continued on. "Or, if you must, the term _sir_ is… fine." I was extremely disappointed in my choice of words and instantly wished to whatever great deity was listening to rewind time and let me have another try at it. But, alas, that was not the case and I was left with Monoto's semi-satisfied grin and the knowledge that I had condemned myself to being called _sir_ for as long as this old man lived.

"Yes… sir. May I ask why _sir_?"

"I never did like _ma'am_…" I mumbled while turning back to the terminal. I heard Monoto chuckle then take a daring step forward even after he was dismissed.

"May I get you something to eat… sir?"

I sighed in defeat.

"No, I don't eat much anymore. I don't think it's safe either. Though it wouldn't really hurt me, I don't want to take that chance." He chuckled again.

"Cyina and I brought our own food and water. We would be more than happy to share."

When Monoto said 'happy to share' I almost collapsed laughing. Only years of cold composure kept me from doing anything. Not many Sith ever said "share" and let alone be happy about it. He and Cyina were different in many ways. That brought up another thought.

"You and Cyina? Do you two travel together?"

"Yes, My Lord. After he left the Jedi he came to the Sith but wasn't exactly like the others. I served him a year into the Jedi Civil War and took care of him like a son. After you left the known galaxy we went our separate ways from the Sith. We came here to see the new Sith Lord but he got challenged to a duel over an old squabble with a rival of his," Monoto said dismissively as if he was talking about a child's unimportant complaints.

I nodded and continued to work with the terminal. He never left so finally I looked up at him. He noticed the slight head movement and he snapped out of his little daydream.

"Something wrong?" Ice was dripping from my words. He was being a pest. I had no time to take care of his problems but he was no good to me if he never said what he felt was needed to be told. I knew the workings of an old person's mind from when I had worked with old, cryptic masters and teachers and there was always a problem if they weren't allowed to talk. What a pain.

"It is nice to have you back. We need you and your… uniqueness."

I raised an eyebrow at that. I knew he couldn't see but he seemed to tell I was questioning his words. That last part caught me off guard. I had heard of many Jedi joining the Sith because they thought I was right in my actions, or that the Sith would end the problems, or just because I had lead them to victory in the Mandalorian Wars. This was the first time I had heard of someone following because I was different.

I had been silent for a while so I nodded again and picked up my pace on the terminal. _  
><em>

_This is going to take hours, maybe even days, to fix..._

"Well, if you don't really want anything I'll leave you be."

Monoto had not said "Lord" and he said he was leaving. Just for that I thought I would humor him, like giving a pet a fun job to do for being good.

"Monoto? Would you send some water over? Perhaps I am a little thirsty. I might be here for a long time and I don't feel like walking through this death trap in the middle of the night to get a drink."

"Yes, sir. Would you like me to set up your room?"

Normally I would have said no. I don't like the idea of someone being in my room or setting it up (in this case cleaning the debris) but I knew I would want to relax after this so I decided since he wanted to do something for me I might as well.

"Yes, I suppose. That place is a mess. Who was there before?"

"A master Uthar resided in those rooms for a while. He then decided it was best if he moved to the rooms closer to his students. They have remained empty since then."

"Ah, yes. I remember him. Fool. That is what got him killed. If he had stayed in those rooms I would have had a harder time in poisoning him."

"You killed him?" There was surprise, almost fear, in his voice.

"Yes, I killed him and sent his pupil away. Yuthura was promising but she was too much of a complication. She didn't even understand what she was or wanted. She was annoying and schemed a bit too much to be trusted. In the end it would have killed her."

"Oh. Do you plan on appointing a new master here?"

"I'm not even the Lord yet." My voice came out as uncaring and slightly bored. It was the way I spoke and Monoto knew that but didn't seem to care. I don't think he realized that I actually was bored with this.

"I know you aren't the Sith Lord yet but you built this group yourself and you are the strongest here. No one will be able to oppose you. It will only take some time."

I moved on to the section on Sith rituals and customs, not really paying attention to what Monoto was saying or the tone of his voice. Most of the data in the system had been deleted or corrupted and it was taking much of my concentration. "I will most likely place someone I know won't teach lies and will keep things under control here. It won't be for a good month or so. This place first needs to be repaired."

"Yes. I will be back in a moment with your water." With that, he left and I had the freedom to focus on the work in front of me.

After hours of working on the files in the academy system I headed back to my temporary room. On my way I saw blood stains on the stone floor. Some new and some old but all of them were either Sith or beast. It seemed like a comparison. It showed how the difference between man and beast was diminishing.

I felt a need growing in me that had started after I had returned to known space. It had continued to grow over time and hadn't relaxed.

I wanted to go home.

Not my home world but my adopted home. A place that had taken me and accepted me for what I was, for what I am. The site of the blood had brought back memories of my home, from the times its _own_ floors had been covered in blood.

I came up to the stone door that lead to my new rooms and laid my head against the cold surface. Thoughts and memories flew through my mind. There was a time when I had no recollection of what I had done but even then I was repeating the same mistakes and creating new troubles. I wrecked lives and never gave an explanation to those I left. Then again, it's not like they would listen or believe my words. The unknown region was at least more merciful in this case. When I was there these memories didn't come to haunt me.

_Maybe returning wasn't a good idea. What use am I here? I thought I might be able to repair the pieces I left but with my mind in such I state… Not everything I did is repairable. So what do I think I can accomplish? Bring more pain? Bring back the sorrows I spent months trying to bury? It's not like the galaxy has an immediate threat. The Republic is repairing itself, right? The Sith are fighting each other for power and in the process they are killing off their own existence. That's nothing new. I could always help things go faster as a way of apology. It would be a way to express how I feel and my own objectives. I could balance both factions. I was the one who did the most of the damage so I know where to repair. But Malak…_

My fist clenched tight as I thought of that traitor. He had ruined everything. He was such a fool. He didn't see what I was doing nor did he care. And yet, _I_ was a fool to have him by _my_ side. How could I trust him? I knew he would try to kill me but I didn't expect him to be such a _coward _about it. I didn't think he'd use the Jedi to his advantage and then shoot at my ship. How pathetic.

But yet I fell for it. I, the once Lord Revan, had fallen to such an attack. I just couldn't decide whether the simplicity and cowardice of Malak's plan could take some of the blame and the embarrassment of that situation or not. It could have been the fact that I was facing Jedi. That time was no more different than the other times that I had faced Jedi but what if the Force had something to do with it? What if the Force wanted me to get taken by the Jedi?

_Then the Force truly is a brutal thing. What the Jedi did, what Bastila did, is unforgivable. Not once did they even try to look at things from my perspective. They talk about how sacred all life is but I saw no such acts of concern. They left the Republic to be slaughtered by the Sith and then stayed my hand when I wanted to leave to help. I was acting on my Jedi instincts and the Force. I was trying to listen to their teachings. Then the Jedi turn around and tell me otherwise? I had to decide which side of their teachings was right and I choose the one that saved lives. Is that so wrong? Why did they despise what I did?_

_Then they toyed with my mind. The Jedi, yet again, went back on their own teachings and twisted my mind to their will and turned me into a weapon. How could they do that?_

By now I was fighting with my emotions in a silent battle.

_I was trying to do the right thing! The Jedi wanted me to stand there and listen to billions people cry out for help and not even reach out a hand to help them? Not even tell them that I cared for their lives? As a Sith Lord I wasn't even that bad. I welcomed any to the Sith. I wouldn't even kill a Jedi without asking them if they wanted to live, if they wanted to join me. I gave them a choice! I was no saint but I didn't kill innocent people with my own hands on a daily basis! I always had a legitimate reason! If I ever sacrificed people it was for a greater goal. More people would survive in the end result. When the Jedi sat there and watched they were no better_

_I knew that the citizens of the Republic wouldn't see that but I came to terms with that long before necessary. I thought the Jedi might understand. They always talked about the future and the repercussions of someone's actions. How could they not see that? I was acting on their lessons! They said that a Jedi's life is self sacrifice for the people. Being a Sith was my self sacrifice! I gave up friends and even my life to save people. The Republic and Jedi weren't taking care of their citizen's lives. I wanted the power to do that. This galaxy, the Republic, gave me a place to live and I wanted to protect it. By fighting the Republic I strengthened it along with myself. I could have protected everything I cared for if Malak and the Jedi…_

I heard an abrupt _crack_ then saw that while my mind was ripping _itself_ apart it had caused my fingers to rip the _wall_. They had dug into the sandy rock of the door and actually broke part of the thick surface right off.

I opened the door to my room and walked in wondering whether I was really going crazy this time. I sat on the stiff bed without looking up. I took a few more moments to get all my thoughts back to there normal places: the past was buried in the back, Cyina and Monoto were on hold and were to be considered later, and the regaining my title was second only to my mind yelling at me to lay down and shut out the world and even myself.

I had all these parts of my mind planning on different things and most of them ended poorly for me. One part wanted me to sort out everything that had happened. That part was small but strong.

To stop this ludicrous I got up and started investigating the rooms. I found some Sith robes and gear. None of it was my type of thing but it would suffice for now until I got home to retrieve my own trademark items. I placed everything I had found into the footlocker that held The Sword of Ajunta Pall and sealed it off for now.

As I stood up my eyes caught the shine of something well polished from over beside my bed. I walked over and felt my stomach twist at the sight of the custom blaster.

I instantly knew that Cyina had been here. Now that my mind was focused on more direct matters I felt through the Force that he had come here to give me the blaster. The fact that I was still at the academy's library only made it easier for him.

He didn't have to confront me.

I felt rage boil inside of me. It was growing fast but my defenses kicked into action and it simmered down to simply feeling upset. I knew he was just trying to do what he felt was right, what the Force had supposedly told him. I, of all people, knew what that was like; what it was like to get punished for listening to the Force and your own lessons. I thoughtfully picked up the blaster and eyed it for a long time.

It hadn't changed at all.

_I wonder if he has changed at all. Does he still hate me? Does he still not understand why I did what I did?_

I quickly locked up those thoughts as I also locked up the blaster with the other weapons. I returned to the bed and removed my mask, armor, cloak, sash and belt, parts of the outer layer of my robes, boots, and gloves. I set them beside my bed on top of the footlocker for easy access and turned over on the bed to try and rest.

Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.


End file.
